Why Am I here

As a high school graduate student, I’m always asked where I am going to college or what do I want to do with my life. For many, this can be a simple question with a quick clear answer, showing that they know exactly what they want to do with their lives. For me, this is a very difficult decision and my future career is still a mystery. Knowing what you want to achieve in life is a wonderful thing, but the most important aspect of a career is happiness.

Even though I do not know what I want to do for the rest of my life, I do know that some of the first steps in getting there are gaining experience, getting a better education, and simply having fun. I am here in English 111, because taking this class is one of the first steps in forwarding my career and future. I believe that “experience” can be such a broad term that vaguely leaves out a lot of information. It’s a term that many mature people use that have lived a very extensive life and have been through a lot.

I know that I do not have nearly as much experience as some people because I am still very young, but as I am becoming an adult I am acquiring new skills that will help me throughout my life. I also realize some of the things that I was told when I was a child, like “you’ll know when your older son,” or “I’ll tell you what it means when you grow up,” do end up making sense once you’ve experienced those moments in time. For example, when I was young, my dad always used to tell me not to put my elbows on the table while I was eating, make my bed, and to always say thank you after I was given something.

All of these diminutive habits seemed pointless and unnecessary at the time. Recently though, I realized that these few small things in life were some of the building blocks in order to make me well mannered, organized and respectful. Now-a-days a high school degree is not enough to maintain a standard living and to raise a family. It used to be the usual requirement that people needed to have to get a decent job, but now in the twenty-first century, a bachelors or masters degree is held as the new standard.

I can see that in the current job market the new standards of schooling are increasing all the time. After graduating in honors from Jackson High School in Massillon Ohio I knew that I would start my next year of education at the University of Akron. I have however, narrowed down my majors to either pharmacy or engineering. Both of my parents have master’s degrees and I plan on obtaining the same type of degree as them. My parents knew when they were younger that in order to be on top and successful, you had to work hard and have some kind of proof to show for it.

They both knew that getting a master’s degree would greatly improve their chances in the job market when they graduated and they were one-hundred percent correct. I believe that not only will this class help me become a better writer, but that it will help bring me one step closer to receiving my college degree in the field of pharmacy or engineering. Many people in today’s times are always trying to be on top. The current young generation competes for valedictorian by studying practically every day for several hours at a time.

Their parents push them and push them to work harder and harder, but yet lack the teachings to show their kids, that although work is important, it’s not the only thing that children should be exposed to. I believe in a modest approach that was taught to me by my parents. Basically that approach is to expose myself to many different types of opportunities that come my way. For example, instead of working on endless hours of school work every day, I usually spent my time during my high school years working out, playing sports, studying (of course), and occasionally playing the guitar.

I think that being well rounded is a very important aspect in growing up and becoming an adult. It is important to have fun and to take unwind during the work week. Depending on how much of a break I would take would however, determine how well I would do in school. Ever since I started elementary school many teachers saw me as a gifted student because of how smart I became and how good my work ethic was. They believed that I would be successful and because of this certainty, I was placed into many superior, or “gifted,” classes.

Since they believed in me I did not want to disappoint them and so, up until my last few years in high school, I performed very well in school, making the honor list and even getting all A’s every year. I enjoyed going to school because I was not pushed into nonstop work, but instead given the opportunity to enjoy myself and experience new things at the same time. There are many reasons why people believe they are here. I however, believe in the simple first steps in getting there; which are gaining experience, getting a better education, and simply having fun.

These three aspects of the learning process help put me into the seat I am sitting in today. They are necessary key elements that must be used in order to become successful. While attending high school I learned that not only were required classes important building blocks to our future, but they were also good tools in creating well rounded students. So when I look back on my past, I see someone who has had the opportunity to achieve many things and to have fun at the same time. When I sit down and think of mandatory classes such as this one, I realize that they will ultimately help me succeed in whatever career that I pursue in the future.